Multicolor plate printing tissues or other matters



J. B. DUFOUR Dec. 24, 1940.

' IIJL'I'ICOLOR PLATE PRINTING TISSUES OR OTHER IATTBRS Filed Aug. 9, 1939 2 Shoots-4311001: 1 I

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INVENTOQ 3,. Wk.

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Patented Dec. 24 1940 PATENT OFFICE MULTICOLOR. PLATE PRINTING TISSUES OR OTHER MATTERS Jean Baptiste Dufour, Villeurbanne, France Application August 9, 1939, Serial Nb. 289,235 In France August 26, 1938 2 Claims. (01. 101-171) It has still been proposed to apply multicolor plate printing processes in which the parts in relief securing the printing penetrate, for their inking, into'indivldual compartmentsthe profile of which corresponds with that of the design, and which are obtained either by welded separating partitions or by forming in a. plate, made up of wood or other matter, a negative of the printing plate properlyso called.

According to another'known pro'cess, the parts in relief of the plate are brought into contact with'the felts filling up these individual compartments." I

In any case and whatever the used process may .15 be, including also the usual process with only one color at once, the plate is applied in the same manner as a printing stamp or stereotype-plate. In other Wordsthelower surface of its parties .in relief which must make up the design is im- 'o pregnated with the color, and printing is effected by applying on the tissue or other matter. this lower surface bearing the color. My new plate printing process obviates the drawbacks of the known processes mentioned 25 above and offers, moreover, numerous advantages, the essential of which are:

'(1)- To enable the simultaneous applying, at a lower expense, of a great number of colors.

(2) To enable the carrying out of a great num- KH ber of designs by the aid of only one feeding apparatus, by changing only the plate absorbing by capiliarity, in some tubes or others of the feeding apparatus, the colors corresponding with the design of the plate.

' :i' (3) 'To-obviate any riskof spotting the tissue to be printed by detaching the small color drops preceding the application of the color on the tissue.

' The new process essentially relates to the drawing up of the colors by the aid of one of the faces 'of the plate and to the obtention of the printing properly so called by the help of its other face by turning it upside down causing thus the color to be brought up to the printing surfaces. 4. According tojthe embodiment of the invention mentioned -hereaiter as'being more particularly advantageous, the printing plate is made up of a I printing plate properly so'called connected with another plate bearing inking tubes, the printing 50 plate properly so called supporting felts, flannels,

cottons or flat wicks cut out or folded to corre spond with the shape of theldesign and slightly fitted in, and. which is provided with some perforations for the passage of the inking tubes, this 65 printing plate being screwed on the said plate supporting the inking tubes bored so as to correspond with the holes of the printing plate and bearing, screwed in its perforations, inking tubes provided with an inner packing, such as a fine rolled up brass wire-work, and having on their 5 extremity a very fine welded sieve made up of wire-work,- which, working in the same manner as the inner one, retains the color by capiliarity when the plate is set on the feeding apparatus, and brings then the color up to the felts when 10 the turned plate is applied on the tissue. According to another equally very advantageous embodiment of the invention, the feeding apparatus consists of a certain number of superposed tanks on which are welded feeding tubes whose number may be variable, and which are arranged, by preference, vertically, forming a draught-board or a quincunx rising somewhat higher than the upper part of the apparatus, and in which immerge the inking tubes of the printing plate, when the latter is set on the feeding apparatus, the color being brought up to the said superposed tanks and feeding tubes by the aid of an equal number of side tanks connected with the first one by the help of brass or rubber tubes arranged side by side on the one side of the feeding apparatus, at such a height that, on the principle of -communicating vessels, the color comes in the feeding tubes up to the level necessary to dip the inking tubes in the liquid. The following is a complementary description enabling a better understanding of the invention as also drawings, it being understood .that these are given only by way of illustration and can be varied widely without departing from the invention.

Fig. 1 isa perspective view of a printing plate according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view.

Fig. 3 is an elevation view with partial section of the feeding apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a partial ground view. I

In the embodiment given only by way of illustration, the printing plate is made up of a printing plate properly so called 22 constituted, by 5 preference, of wood veneered on both sides and carefully varnished to avoid any deformation by humidity. The even surface of each design 23 to bereprodu'ced is made up of a piece of felt, flannel or other tissue or spongy matter cut out to corre- .50

spond with the shape'of the. design, and fixed,

by preference, by means of pins 24 or by pasting, on the wood in which it is slightly incrusted, it being moreover slightly in relief with respect to the level of the plate. The separating parties for u 70 height as. the upper the "color may be varnished in order that the limits of the colors may be strictly fixed, but some Junctions may also remain unvarnished giving thus an uniform aspect to the colors arranged 5 side by-side.

The plate 22 has some holes 25 whose number may vary and which are arranged at variable distances according to the feeding apparatus. These holes are intended for the passage of the inking tubes 26 which are supported by the metallic plate 21 made up, by preference, of aluminium, and on which is fixed, by the aid of the screws 28, the plate 22. On the plate 21 are cut screws to receive the inking tubes 26. These inking tubes are provided with an inner packing consisting of sieve an intended, as it is also the case with the inner packing 29, to retain by capillarity the color. The upper part of the printing tubes 26 goes through the metallic plate 21 and. penee trates into the holes 25 in such a manner as to cause the upper extremity of the tube to touch.

the under side of the felts.- The length of the lower part of the inking .tubes'26'is calculated so as to dip in the feeding tube of the feeding apparatus when the printing plate is put in it.

Handles 3| of an adequate shape are fixed on each side of the printing plate, so as not to hindenjthe application of the turned over. plate on the tissue. i v

The feeding apparatus foreseen for :the inking 35 of printing plate comprise'sga-min'ibtof super posed tanks i to I6 equal to'thein'uinber ofthe various colors and tints that one wants to ob-Jv tain on the printed tissue (sixteen injthe ex- Each of these tank's 40 I to 16 is provided with a blow off cock 33 and is topped by a certain number of vertical feeding, tubes 34 which cross the upper tanks through'the ample of this invention).

flues 36 and end at thetop of the feeding apparatus. -These vertical tubes may be arranged to form a draught-board on the surface of the tanks, but, 'if necessary they'rnay also be arranged toform a quincunx or in any other manner, so as to vary the spacebetween 'them. Fig. 4

schematically points out this .dra ught board arrangement, the number written down in the'inner part of each compartment corresponding with the number of the tank whose vertical tube is in the said compartment. This combination is more particularly advantageous for color designs very close to each other andjcombined with the printing plate system mentioned above which enables theexecution of a great-number of designs I with only one feeding apparatus because of the I feed tubes to absorb the ink rapidly from said ink wells when. said -printingplate has beengreat closeness of the colors. Are to be changed only the plate absorbing by capillarity, in an the" The colors corresponding with the design to be reproduced, and,

tubes of the feeding apparatus.

.on the other hand, the arrangement of the'tubes. In order to maintain the level of the liquid 5 color in the feeding tubes 34 at ayco'nstant value,

each of the superposed tankslto; I'G'lS" connected by the aid of a metallic or rubber pipe, with the tank 31 arranged on the side of the feeding appa- I I "comprise rolls offlnezbrasswire-work.

ratus. The juxtaposed tanks 31 are at the same extremity of the feeding tubes 34, and, on the principleofcommunicating inking tubes 26 being then turned down. The

plate is applied on the feeding apparatus, so as to secure the penetration of each inking tube into a vertical-feeding tube 36. Within some seconds the inking tubes will absorb by capillarity a sufficient quantity of the color, so that the color remaining in the tubes is quite sufllcient for the inking of the felts. The printing plate will then be lifted up, and after having turned it, its felted face willbe applied on the tissue to be printed.

The invention is in no wise limited to the embodiment' mentioned above, but ,it encompasses,

, on the ,contrary, any other variation and more particularly the formation of .the 'design of the printing plate by means of a felt covering the whole plate but whose hollowshapes' will be "slightly deeper, and the partings coated with any :fat varnish or glue insoluble in water or alcohol; {A very elastic matter, such as rubber moss cut out and sufficiently in relief with respect to the felt in order that it may be inked withgur'n, color, chemical discharge or other matter .without touching the felt, may be incrusted inxthe wood and between the designs of thefelt. when a slightly g'reater-pressureis applied on the plate lying on the tissue, the rubber moss prints along with the-other colors which are also brought into ifcontact with the tissue.

ables the-:obtention of, a great many of new .f3$1libl1$. w

Patent is": 1

: ilwhati llclaiiriiand desire secure by Letters 1. Multicolor printing device comprising in combination a printing plate, a plurality of printing pads: of porous and elastic material mounted on and slightly projecting from one face of said plate, said printing padsbeing shaped and arranged in accordancewith the muitlcolorpattern to be printed,1}a plurality of ink feed tubes,.each of' saidirik feed tubes penetrating said printing platerearwardly of one o'fsaid printing pads and projecting from the facejof said plate opposite that on .whichfsa-idwpads-are mounted, an assembly of constant and uniform level ink wells, each ink'well being adapted and arranged to freely receive'theprojecting endof an ink feed tube when said printi'ngplate is 'place d on said ink well assembly with the printing pads facing upwardly, and capillary active fillings in said ink ;.thecorresponding printing, pads, respectively,

when the printing plate isremoved fromthe ink execution of prints; V,

2. A device, as. claimed in-;claim l,rin which said capillary activeailllingsg-ofisald ink feed tubes- JEAN' heme-s.

well assembly 'andtumedupside. down for the- This combination 1 en- 

